Background: Micronutrient deficiencies have been a serious public health problem among women of reproductive age in low-and middle-income countries including India, adversely affecting maternal and child health and human capital outcomes. Fruit and vegetables are important sources of micronutrients, and consumption of these foods is less than recommendations.
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to fruit and vegetable consumption among women of reproductive age living in rural communities in the State of Maharashtra, India.
Methods: Women aged 18 to 40 years were recruited from 8 villages surrounding the city of Wardha, Maharashtra, India. We used qualitative methods and held 9 focus group discussions and 12 one-to-one interviews. The data collection was stopped when no new information emerged. We used inductive thematic coding to analyze the data.
Results: Women knew that fruit and vegetables were beneficial to health and expressed that they wanted to increase the intake of these foods for themselves and their children. Seven main themes were identified as being barriers or facilitators to fruit and vegetable consumption: (1) personal factors, (2) household dynamics, (3) social and cultural norms, (4) workload, (5) time pressures, (6) environmental factors and (7) cost.